This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jhc.7A7179.2007v1 55/10/1075    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kameda, Y. Articles by Sucov, H. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kameda, Y. Articles by Sucov, H. M. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Expression of the Epithelial Marker E-Cadherin by Thyroid C Cells and Their Precursors During Murine Development

Yoko Kameda, Toshiyuki Nishimaki, Osamu Chisaka, Sachiko Iseki and Henry M. Sucov

Department of Anatomy, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan (YK,TN); Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan (OC); Section of Molecular Craniofacial Embryology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan (SI); and Institute for Genetic Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California (HMS)

Correspondence to: Yoko Kameda, Department of Anatomy, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan. E-mail: kameda{at}med.kitasato-u.ac.jp

Studies of chick–quail chimeras have reported that avian ultimobranchial C cells originate from the neural crest. It has consequently been assumed, without much supporting evidence, that mammalian thyroid C cells also originate from the neural crest. To test this notion, we employed both Connexin43-lacZ and Wnt1-Cre/R26R transgenic mice, because their neural crest cells can be marked. We also examined the immunohistochemical expression of a number of markers that identify migratory or postmigratory neural crest cells, namely, TuJ1, neurofilament 160, nestin, P75NTR, and Sox10. Moreover, we examined the expression of E-cadherin, an epithelial cell marker. At embryonic day (E)10.5, the neural crest cells densely populated the pharyngeal arches but were not distributed in the pharyngeal pouches, including the fourth pouch. At E11.5, the ultimobranchial rudiment formed from the fourth pouch and was located close to the fourth arch artery. At E13.0, this organ came into contact with the thyroid lobe, and at E13.5, it fused with this lobe. However, the ultimobranchial body was not colonized by neural crest–derived cells at any of these developmental stages. Instead, all ultimobranchial cells, as well as the epithelium of the fourth pharyngeal pouch, were intensely immunoreactive for E-cadherin. Furthermore, confocal microscopy of newborn mouse thyroid glands revealed colocalization of calcitonin and E-cadherin in the C cells. The cells, however, were not marked in the Wnt-Cre/R26R mice. These results indicated that murine thyroid C cells are derived from the endodermal epithelial cells of the fourth pharyngeal pouch and do not originate from neural crest cells. (J Histochem Cytochem 55:1075–1088, 2007)

Key Words: ultimobranchial body • thyroid C cells • fourth pharyngeal pouch • endothelial marker E-cadherin • neural crest cells • connexin43-lacZ transgenic mice • Wnt1-Cre/R26R double-transgenic mice

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 2007